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Fort Lewis College Athletics

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Lanae Billy

Women's basketball heads into conference season with home and away week

11/30/2022 4:00:00 PM

By: Angela Roberts, Assistant AD - Communications
DURANGO, Colo. – After six games of nonconference competition, the Fort Lewis College women's basketball team is set to begin the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference portion of its schedule with a Thursday/Saturday slate against Adams State University and Western Colorado University.

Last Time Out
The Skyhawks went winless last weekend at the Thanksgiving Classic on the campus of Colorado Mesa University. First, Fort Lewis fell in a 90-60 final to Wayne State College. The Wildcats were led by Lauren Zacharias who contributed 37 points by going 12-of-18 from the field (7-of-10 3PT). Her contributions led the Wildcats to their most threes in a game since the 2018-19 season.

Fort Lewis shot 36 percent (18-of-50) from the field versus 52.4 percent (33-of-63) for Wayne State. The Skyhawks had opportunities from the charity stripe and connected on 20-of-29 chances. Fort Lewis committed more turnovers on the afternoon but converted 25 points of their own off of turnovers compared to 16 for the Wildcats.

For the Skyhawks, it was freshman Lanae Billy who paced the squad with 21 points—a career-high. Junior Kelsey Sorenson followed with 15 points and a career-high six steals. Sophomore Ava Strange and freshman Ruby Sweeney-Spitzeck followed with seven and six points, respectively. Sophomore Avery Evans had a well-rounded outing with four points, three rebounds, two blocks, and one steal.

The team came back on Sunday for a non-conference game against Colorado Mesa University, falling by a 78-61 final score to wrap up the weekend. Billy led the team with 20 points. Fort Lewis shot 43.5 percent (20-of-46) from the field compared to 50 percent (30-of-60) for Mesa. The Skyhawks connected on five three-pointers versus seven for the Mavericks. Mesa outrebounded Fort Lewis 35-28 and dished out 25 assists on the night.

Billy's 20 points led the team, followed by 12 for Evans. Sorenson contributed 10 points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds. Seniors Kaitlyn Bell and Alyssa Adams each had two blocks to lead the way.

Whalen Winter Wonderland
The Fort Lewis College department of athletics is excited to announce the themes, sponsors, and special events for the remainder of the men's and women's home basketball dates.

The fun will begin this Saturday when the men's and women's teams host Western Colorado University for an RMAC showdown. The doubleheader will be "Whalen Winter Wonderland" themed, sponsored by A&L Coors. Fans are invited to dress in festive holiday attire and take photos with "Durango Santa" who will be in the lobby from 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The Student Athlete-Advisory Committee will be in the lobby as well, collecting non-perishable food items to benefit the FLC Grub Hub. The Grub Hub is a student-led, basic needs justice organization committed to serving everyone—students, graduate students, staff, faculty, and community members—by breaking down the stigma behind food and housing security.

Scouting Adams State University
The Grizzlies own a 4-2 record this season after dropping a pair of games last week. ASU saw losses to Texas A&M International (67-54) and Texas A&M University-Kingsville (63-41). The team ranks first in the conference with 76.7 points per game while allowing 61.7 for their opponents. Their .457 field goal percentage is top in the league.

Freshman Harmanie Dominguez leads the team at 14.2 points per game with a .508 field goal percentage. Junior Sharmayne Finley follows closely behind at 13.2 points per game (.465 field goal percentage). From there, the Grizzlies have three players averaging over eight points per game. ASU sees rebounding action from a variety of players, including four who pull down four per game as the team outrebounds their opposition 35.8-31.7.

The series history between the Skyhawks and Grizzlies sits at 20-7 in favor of the blue and gold. Fort Lewis fell in both meetups last season, first 64-62 at home before dropping a 58-56 road game in February.

Scouting Western Colorado University
The Mountaineers sit 1-4 this season with a win over Texas A&M University-Kingsville marking the lone win. Western has played a tough schedule to date, matching up with three of the top teams in the region to date, including a recent 51-38 loss to Lubbock Christian University on Sunday.

Western ranks last in the conference with an average of 48.6 points per game while allowing 56.2 per game from their opponents—third in the conference. The lack of scoring is easier to bare when you see that the Mountaineers come away with 43.2 rebounds per game to sit second in the RMAC. Emmery Wagstaff paces the team with 15.0 points per game, followed by Rachel Cockman at 14.2 per game. Those players also sit top on the team in rebounds per game, Cockman at 8.6 and Wagstaff at 7.2.

The Skyhawks lead the all-time series at 18-7 but have lost five in a row at the hands of the Mountaineers. Last season, Fort Lewis fell in a 59-56 final at home at 72-59 on the road. The most recent win over Western came in 2019 by a 76-74 final score.

Billy Came to Play
Freshman Lanae Billy doesn't look like a freshman when she laces up her shoes on game day. The Shiprock, New Mexico native is leading the team by averaging 17.7 points per game—a mark that ranks third in the conference. She's doing in on a .458 field goal percentage and .472 three-point field goal percentage. Billy upped her game this past weekend, averaging 20.5 points per game and 2.8 rebounds per game. In the game versus Wayne State, she was 10-of-10 from the line for a season-high 21 points.

Around the RMAC
New Mexico Highlands is the lone unbeaten team in the conference, followed by Black Hills State (5-1) and Colorado School of Mines (4-1). Adams State is leading the conference by averaging 76.7 points per game. Fort Lewis ranks third in the conference with a .361 field goal percentage and a .719 free throw percentage. Kelsey Sorenson ranks fifth in the conference in rebounds per game at 7.8 while Billy ranks second in free throw percentage (.852) on 27 attempts.

Up Next
Fort Lewis will be on the road next week for a pair of RMAC matchups against New Mexico Highlands and CSU Pueblo. They will play Friday at 5:00 p.m. in Las Vegas, N.M. before turning around to take on the ThunderWolves on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
 
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